Hundreds of Ghanaian students who have had their academic results screened for possible admission into UK and Canadian universities at the BCIE Education Fair, have opted for courses in petroleum engineering. Dave Liston International Marketing Manager for Liverpool John Moores University, exclaimed that: "Ghanaian students are leaving nothing to chance. They are positioning themselves for the Industry that will matter In some years to come." He said he has screened the credentials of over 1,000 students and just a handful enquired after courses in the social sciences. "They are thinking about emerging opportunities in the petroleum Industry. It is on a good note; what's the point if you can't plan yourself for the future?" Fifteen different UK and Canadian schools participated in the two-day fair and responses were the same throughout. Ghana's oil is set to begin pumping by the second half of next year. Over 200,000 barrels has initially been estimated as the wells' capacity. The opportunities range from catering services, administrative services, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering services, all the way up to oil-rig management. Dr. Cliff Dedynski, a co-director of British Canadian International Education (BCIE), was pleased with the students' Interest and the foresight the majority of them displayed during interviews. "The advantage they have is that they have representatives from most of the schools of interest who are helping them to shape their choices to match their capabilities and the possible admission to begin their course. "We also offer financial viability advice and visa ­application assistance. We always advise students not to do visa applications on their own but to call for our assistance. This is because the visa-application rules are always changing and students are twice as likely to get a visa with our assistance than if they go it alone," he said at the fair in Accra last week. The fair showcased undergraduate and postgraduate courses, foundation improvements, top-up and pre­-masters programmes. This is the seventh time BCIE is holding the annual fair in Ghana. The organisation is reputed for its exceptional international education consultancy since its establishment in 1998 by Dr. Cliff Dedynski and Nazmina Panju, also a co-director. BCIE has its head office in the UK and country offices in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, with more than 60 UK universities and three Canadian university/colleges in its network. Its two offices in Ghana are located in Accra and Kumasi. Source: B&FT